I’ve received many calls in the past few weeks from concerned residents worried about the mass Influx of Individuals crossing our southern border. I am just as concerned about the crisis at our Southern border as you, and as your Assemblywoman, I feel it is important for me to share how the border crisis doesn’t just impact national security, it affects our local communities each and every day.
Drugs and Drug Cartels
With a porous border, our neighborhoods have become even more susceptible to the many dangers that drugs and drug dealers bring with them. Drug cartels have learned of new ways to take advantage of our loose border restrictions and are trafficking illegal drugs laced with dangerous substances like fentanyl into our communities. These drugs are poisoning our loved ones and contributing to drug-related crimes, skyrocketing addiction rates, and increasing violence.
Border Related Crime
Because of our proximity to the border, our communities experience some of the residual problems associated with transnational crime. Human sex and labor trafficking are all very real issues that are worsened by lax border security. Transnational criminals will continue exploiting vulnerable victims of this heinous crime throughout Southern California unless we give our law enforcement the tools they need to disrupt these criminal networks and secure our border.
Terrorist Threats In Our Own Backyard
Recently, Congressman Darrell Issa shared his great concern about our border security and the significant terror threat it poses. Last week, Border Patrol agents arrested an Afghan national on the FBI’s terror watchlist after he crossed into the U.S. illegally in Otay Mesa, California. As our border security has weakened, we have seen “bad agents” and other members of terrorist organizations attempt to make their way into our country. These bad actors are looking to do one thing: harm Americans. It is critical to all of our safety that our government can fully control who enters this country and when.
Border security is a complex issue. But our government can’t continue sitting on its hands while the problem deteriorates. We need to do more to safeguard our communities from any harm that the border crisis presents. As your Assemblywoman, I work every day to push forward legislation that will improve public safety, tackle the fentanyl crisis, and prosecute more cartel operatives and human traffickers. To be successful, we need a collaborative effort involving federal, state, and local officials, along with community outreach and support programs. I am ready to get things done, and I’ll work with anyone to address our border crisis.